Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/18/2012

Florida’s last pre-election unemployment report due Friday

The country’s largest swing state will receive its final unemployment report before Election Day on Friday. The report will show whether Florida will see the same kind of sharp drop in unemployment seen in September’s national report, which was released two weeks ago. Those numbers will carry big political consequences. More at the Miami Herald.

Thousands of baby boomers and retirees in Florida are embarking on second careers or pursuing hobbies for profit-owning franchises, where the advantage is often a recognizable brand, a proven business model and expert assistance in running an operation. Nationwide, the number of franchise agreements signed in the U.S. this year is expected to rise by 1.9 percent. More at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Baptist Health helping doctors convert to electronic records

Business Profile

Securboration

There’s a good reason that Melbourne-based Securboration rarely makes the news, other than in obscure journals or defense publications. Few understand what the research firm does.

Baptist Health South Florida reports it’s making good progress in its efforts to subsidize doctors in its area to convert to electronic health records so that Baptist hospitals and the doctors can easily share data about patients. More at the Miami Herald.

A Tennessee market research and branding firm is defining the image of Enterprise Florida Inc., the state’s economic development organization. Nashville-based North Star Destination Strategies will “uncover Florida’s business brand” and “express the identity we want the world to see as it pertains to business,” Melissa Medley, chief marketing officer for Enterprise Florida, wrote in an Oct. 12 email. More at the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Column: Ethics at the core of a successful business

While there are numerous laws and regulations involving the ethics of doing business with the state or federal government, I am not aware of any laws or regulations that directly deal with ethical issues for small businesses that provide goods or services to private businesses and consumers. From my perspective, good business ethics form the core of a successful business. More at Florida Today.

Environmental Trends Rare Orchids, Bromeliads Returned to Everglades National Park

For the past five years, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota has been part of a pioneering effort to return rare bromeliads and orchids to the Everglades. Several botanists waded into the thickets of Everglades National Park to bring endangered plants back into the wild.